Athletic feat and means for performing same.



PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905:

U. ANGILLOTTI.

ATHLETIC PEATS AND MEANS FOR PERFORMING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

SSHEETS-SHEET 1.

M: arm/Mex 78,941. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

U. ANGILLOTTI.

ATHLETIC PEATS AND MEANS FOR PERFORMING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATBNTED JAN. 3, 1905.

U. ANGILLOTTI. ATHLETIC FEATS AND MEANS FOR PBRPDRMING SAME.

APPLIUATIGN FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

7 v n l. :6 m V Wm M UNiTED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT rricn.

UGO ANOILLOTTI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ATHLETIC FEAT AND MEANS FOR PERFORMING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,941, dated January3, 1905.

' Application filed September 6, 1904. Serial No. 228,385.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ueo ANCILLOTTI, a subject of the King of Italy,residing in the city and county of New York, State of New York,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Athletic Feats andMeans for Performing the Same; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to tracks and appliances for enablingathletes,wheel or car riders, and the like to accomplish the feat ofwhat is known as looping-the-loop and other hazardous riding on wheels,cars, and the like; and the object of my invention is to provide meanswhereby the performer or rider in one continuous act upon a car isenabled not only to leave the track and make a complete circle,somersault, or revolution with his car about an axis, but also return tothe track under such velocity that he, with the car, can make a longleap through space or over a separation in the track and then out on theground at the finish. I

For a better understanding of my invention attention is called to thefollowing specification, which will describe in detail the manner inwhich the device is constructed and its mode of operation when read inconnection with the drawings accompanying the same and forming a parthereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the track and the attachments for assistingthe performer to make the revolution. Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofthe concluding portion of the track shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of one kind of a car used by the performer. Fig. 3 is an endview of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: shows the performer about to'leave the track andstart on the revolution or circle about an axis and in dotted lines twoof the positions he assumes in making the revolution. Fig. 5 shows infull lines the performer returned to the track after having made therevolution about the shaft or axis and released from the shaft and indotted lines the performer about to make the leap with his wheel acrossthe space in the separated track shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a front viewof the'appliance, showing the means for grasping and releasing the carfor making the revolution and returning to the track. Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of one arm of the attachment, together with one arm of theswinging bar with which the wheel of the rider engages. Fig. 8 is adetail of the car.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each of thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates one section of the track, whichconsists, preferably, in an inclined part 1 and a nearly horizontal part5, with its outer end slightly raised. This track is set upon supports6. as shown in Fig. 1. The other section, 8, of the track is placed at aslight incline and rests upon support-s 10. These two sections may bemovable and set a given space apart, which space is determined byvarious conditions, such as the weight of the rider, the weight of thecar or wheel, and the momentum.

On opposite sides of the track 2, preferably near the lower end oftheincline, is seta frame '12, consisting of two upright posts orstandards 14c and 15, which are rigidly stayed by ropes or braces 13.These standards are connected together at the top by a tube-shaft 16. Tothis tube-shaft is pivoted. a rectangular swing 18, having a horizontalbar 19 and the side arms 17, united together. For the purpose ofattaching the swing 18130 the tubeshaft 16 there are secured around theshaft 16 two loops or rings 21, adapted to be freely rotated around saidshaft. Integral with each loop is a lug or car 22, recessed out at itsouter end, in which the arms 17 are pivoted by pins 23. It will be seenthat by this mode of construction the swing not only may be rotatedaround the tube-shaft 16 as an axis, but also backward and forwardbeneath the tube and serving to make the swing slightly flexible, whichare important features, as will hereinafter appear.

Between the standards 14 and 15 are placed loops 24:, adapted to slideup and down on the standards. These loops are connected together by ahorizontal bar 20. Also around the standards are rings 27, which may beadjusted upon the standards to limit the movements of the bar 20 andthen held in the adjusted positions by the set-screws 26. The loops 24are provided with lugs 25, into which ropes 28 and 30 are secured.

Against the side standard 15, near the top, is secured a pulley 29, andthe opposite end of the tube-shaft 16 is cut away and a pulley 31 issecured therein. Around the pulley 29 the rope 30 passes, and around thepulley'31 the rope 28 passes through the tube 16. By means of aheseropes the horizontal bar 20isoperate The car 32, preferably to be usedby the performer on this incline track, is of the bicycle class, havingthe usual wheels 33 and the usual stays 34, but without the drive-gear.Secured to the frame at the intersection of the three bars 34 and 35 isa brace 36, to the opposite ends of which are rigidly fastened uprightarms 37. At the top of these arms are pivoted hooks 38. These bars arestayed by a horizontal bar 39, attached to each bar 37 and runningthrough the upper stay 40 of the car The car is also provided with aguiding or handle bar 42 and seat 43.

The manner in which the performer accomplishes the feat of leaving thetrack while going at a great rate of speed and performing a revolutionor somersault around the axis or tube-shaft 16 and then return to thetrack under speed and also leap a separated space in the track issubstantially as follows: The car is placed at the top of the incline ofthe track 4 and the performer mounts into the seat and places his feetupon the brace 36, one foot on each side of the stays, near to the arms37, and then grasps the handle-bar 42. Since the incline of the track isvery sharp, the force of gravity will give the wheel a rapid motion downthe incline till it comes beneath the swing 18. Then the hooks 38 willcome into engagement with the horizontal bar 19 of the swing, and themomentum of the car and rider caused by the gravity of the incline willcarry them around the axis 16, and the centrifugal force will cause themto assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, with the hooks38 in engagement with the bar 19 and exerting a great tension thereon.At the time of the engagement of the hooks 38 with the bar 19 the swing18 is upon the opposite side of the bar 20 from the approach of therider as he starts in to make his revolution. At this time the assistantlowers the bar 20 by loosening the ropes 28 and 30 till the bar hasreached the position on the standards below the swing of the bar 19 andthe bar 20 rests upon the rings 27. Then as the rider comes to theposition shown in full lines in Fig. 5 the bar 20 will come in contactwith the hooks 38 and disengage them from their engagement with theswing-bar 19, and the momentum of the rider will not be decreased bythis release, but he will be moving rapidly by the forceimparted to himon the downward portion of the revolution and will then be released fromthe bar 19 and in position on the track with sufficient momentum to leapthe space 50 between the sections of the track and strike upon thesection 8. It will be seen by this mode of construction that the rideris enabled by the force of the gravity of the incline track to leave thetrack and make a complete revolution or somersault upon his car aroundan axis and return to the track under speed sufiicient to make the leapacross the separation of the track in one and the same act.

It is manifest that the track may be instead of an incline a level trackand the operator may be given a start by some other power than bygravity and still make the same revolution and perform the same acts. Itis also manifest that other modes of holding the car while it is makingits revolution about an axis and different modes of constructing thecar, as well as the details of the mode of grap pling with the car andreleasing it, may be widely varied without departing from the spirit ofmy invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a device ofthe character described, a track, a car, means for grasping the carwhile under motion and rotating it about an axis,

and means for releasing the car after the revolution.

2. In a device of the character described, a track, a car, means forimparting speed to the car, means for removing the car from the trackwhile under speed and rotating the car about an axis, and means forreturning the car to the same plane on the track while un der speed.

3. In a device of the character described, a single track, a car, meansfor removing the car from the track while under speed with rider thereonand revolving them both about an axis and returning them tosubstantially the same position on the track that they maintained whenremoved, and means for imparting speed to the car when it is returned tothe trac z.

4. In a device of the character described, a

track, a car, a shaft interposed in the line of the track, means forengaging the car with the shaft, and means for releasing the engagementof the car with the shaft while under speed.

5. In a device of the character described, a track formed in sectionsand the sections set with an open space between, a car, means disposedin the line of the track for removing the car from the track while underspeed and rotating it about an axis away from the track, and means forreturning the car to the track under speed and in position to make aleap across an open space between the sections of the track.

6. In a device of the character described, a car, a shaft a swingpivoted to the shaft, means connected with the car for grasping theswing and rotating the car around the shaft, and means for releasing thecar while under speed from its engagement with the swing.

7 In a device of the character described, an inclined track, a car, ashaft, means for engaging the car with the shaft while under speed androtating it around the shaft away from the track, and means forreleasing the engagement of the car from the shaft while under speedafter the car has been returned to the track.

8. In a device of the character described, a track formed in sections, acar, means disposed in the line of the track for removing the car fromthe track and rotating it about an axis away from the track, and meansfor returning the car to the track and imparting speed thereto forleaping across a space between the sections of the track.

9. In a device of the character described, a track, a car a shaftinterposed in the line of the track, arms connected with the car andprovided with hooks for engaging said shaft, and means for releasing theengagement of the hooks from the shaft while the car is under speed.

10. .In a device of the character described, a track, a car a framesetin the line of the track, a shaft connected with the frame, meansattached to the car for engaging the shaft, means for imparting speed tothe car, and means for releasing the car from the shaft while undermotion.

11. In a device of the character described, a track formed in sectionswith space between the sections, a car, means for removing the car fromthe track while under motion and rotating it about an axis, and meansfor returning the car to the track after the revolution and while undermotion.

12. In a device of the character described, an inclined track made insections and the sections set a short distance apart, a car consistingof two wheels braced together with means for guiding the same, a shaftset outside of the track, hooks attached to the car for engaging theshaft while under speed, and means for releasing the engagement of thebooks with the shaft while under speed. 1

18. In a device of the character described, a single track formed insections and set with an open space between the sections, a car, meansfor imparting speed to the car, means for removing the car from thetrack while under speed and rotating it about an axis away from thetrack, means for imparting speed to the car after it has been returnedto the track to cause the car to leap across an open space in the track.

14. In a device of the character described, a single track, a car, meansinterposed in the line of the track for grasping the car and rotating itabout an axis and returning the car to the track, means for releasingthe car while under speed from the grasp of the means interposed in theline of the track.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANOILLOTTI.

UGO Witnesses:

M. M. (JADY, W. R. MACDONALD.

